Former Lieutenant Commander Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi who was arrested over the abduction and disappearance of 11 Tamil youths in 2008 and 2009, has been further remanded until September 26 by Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne.

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) informed the court today that direct evidence have come forward that former Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy and incumbent Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, had helped the suspect evade court.

Accordingly the Chief of Defence Staff was informed to appear before the CID to record a statement on September 10 while he was notified three days in advance, the CID said.

However, the Chief of Defence Staff has travelled overseas without informing the CID, the court was told.

The officers of the CID also said that Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne is due to return to the country on September 19 and that they will record a statement from him after that and brief the court in due time.